It seems the U.S government and BP can’t agree on what to do next about the ruptured well responsible for the worst oil spill in U.S. history. BP wants to keep the well shut off for now. But the governmental officials are worried about signs that indicate there could be a leak somewhere on the sea floor, and want to proceed with more caution.

A report from MSNBC said pressure readings on a containment cap installed last week weren’t as high as expected. This could be an indication that there is a leak somewhere else in the wellbore, or deep down in bedrock, which could make the seabed unstable. To prevent further damage, the oil flow would need to be resumed to relieve pressure and allow crews to hook up containment ships to siphon out the oil.

The pressure tests have also detected a seep – usually a flow of hydrocarbons from the seafloor – “a distance from the well”.

In a letter to BP, Retired Coast Guard Adm. Thad Allen, who is heading up the federal response in the Gulf of Mexico, said pressure testing would be allowed to continue for now, but that the discovery of seepage and other anomalies suggest that the well could be damaged. If this is the case, the well may have to be reopened soon to avoid making the situation worse, the letter said. He ordered further monitoring of the well.

Meanwhile, there are some who are questioning BP’s motives for wanting to keep the well shut off. Representative Edward Markey, a Massachusetts Democrat, expressed concern over the weekend that doing so was part of a strategy to prevent the US government from accurately measuring how much oil and natural gas spewed into the Gulf of Mexico over the course of the last three months.

“If the well remains fully shut in until the relief well is completed, we may never have a fully accurate determination of the flow rate from this well,” Markey said in a letter to Allen.

Markey’s letter pointed out that BP has “consistently underestimated the flow rate” from the damaged well, and suggested that the company was trying to “evade billions of dollars in fines.”

If the oil spill is found to be the result of gross negligence, the federal government would be able to fine BP $4,300 for each barrel of oil that leaked into the sea during the disaster. For that reason, it’s vital that an accurate measurement of the flow rate be obtained.

This entry was posted on Monday, July 19th, 2010 at 2:46 pm and is filed under Accidents. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.